BRENDAN RODGERS has sat once before in the dugout at Anfield amid a deafening din swelling as Liverpool poured forward in search of a second-leg resurgence.

This time, however, he hopes he will be able to call upon the power of a partisan home crowd as an ally instead of a foe when Liverpool aim to overturn a 2-0 deficit.

Rodgers was a member of Jose Mourinho’s backroom staff eight years ago when the Reds edged past Chelsea and into the Champions League final thanks to Luis Garcia’s contentious strike that still divides opinion.

“I was here for the first semifinal, for the ‘ghost goal’,” said Rodgers.

It is a game in which we need to get two goals but it is not something where the first five or 10 minutes need to be chaotic.

Brendan Rodgers

“For me, it wasn’t a goal. That was the sheer force of the crowd that got the goal.

Jose spoke at that time of how he didn’t think it was over the line, but the bottom line is that the referee gave it. It was under massive influence .

“The atmosphere was as good as you will ever get. The crowd will be so important for us against Zenit St Petersburg. But, equally, we need patience.

“It is a game in which we need to get two goals but it is not something where the first five or 10 minutes need to be chaotic.

We have to be aggressive in attack and we have to have intensity in our pressing. “The first goal is important. If that comes after 40, 55 or even 70 minutes, I still think we have the power of the crowd and the players to get the result as long as we stay super compact.”

Liverpool will hope to overturn a 2-0 European first-leg deficit for only the second time in their history as they seek to reach the last 16 tonight.

Carragher hopes to add another trophy to his cabinet in his last season at the club

Mike Marsh, part of Rodgers’ coaching staff, opened the scoring in a 3-0 win over Auxerre in 1991 and that the final goal came just six minutes before the fi nal whistle, from Mark Walters, illustrates Rodgers’ argument about players performing with their heads as well as with their hearts.

The key is if Liverpool, who have conceded two goals or more in 20 of 42 matches this season, can repel Russian raiders . Defender Jamie Carragher will make his 150th European appearance and will need to summon all his know-how to keep quiet both Aleksandr Kerzhakov and Hulk.

“We have had 10 clean sheets in our league matches, the second-highest total among clubs in the Premier League, so we can do this,” said Rodgers, whose team will be without the injured defender Martin Skrtel tonight.

“If we can retain our focus and concentration then we can keep clean sheets.

We have also shown that we can score goals as well.

“Daniel Sturridge has been such a brilliant tonic for us since we signed him and made our system a lot richer. But even when Daniel has not been playing, we have shown that we can grab three goals or more in games.”

Rodgers added: “ If we can get the result and the performance, then it will be another signpost in terms of where the group is going."